edited by Jonathan Doyle

Cloverfield [BLU-RAY] (Paramount Home Entertainment, 6.3.2008) Disguised under deliberately goofy, yet deliciously edible-sounding, aliases such as Cheese and Slusho, Matt Reeves' Cloverfield was produced and rushed into theaters under an equally appetizing shroud of secrecy. From last year's incredibly elusive Super Bowl ad to the film's viral marketing campaign, Cloverfield had everybody scratching their heads and drooling in anticipation. Aside from the as-yet untitled title and the Blair Witch-ian visual style, the film's biggest appeal was the enigmatic creature who was last (un)seen hurling the decapitated head of the Statue of Liberty onto the crowded streets of New York City. All we knew about the mysterious beast was that it was big and angry. Now that the highy-anticipated project has come and gone, one question has fortunately been answered: Cloverfield was a major success. (continued)

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Hancock

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The Whackness

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Diminished Capacity

Gonzo: The Life and Work of Hunter S. Thompson

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Full Battle Rattle

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A Man Named Pearl

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Eight Miles High

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A Very British Gangster

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Boy A

Passing of Tom Snyder

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Tom Snyder cracks have been de rigeur since the '70s when Dan Aykroyd began spoofing him on SNL, but Snyder -- who died yesterday from lukemia at age 71 -- always had my absolute respect for a single interview he did with Sterling Hayden in, I think, 1977 or thereabouts.

That interview, which ought to be on You Tube or at least on DVD, felt to me like one of the greatest TV chats I'd ever seen because it was so nakedly confessional. I knew Hayden slightly in the late '70s to early '80s -- he was my first movie-star interview (i.e., on the set of Frank Pierson's King of the Gypsies) and he lived in my hometown of Wilton, Connecticut -- and so I recognized to some extent how candid he was being with Snyder. I especially remember Hayden saying on that late-night show how "booze really sneaks up on you" and "you're always a little bit drunker than you think you are."

Snyder, in any event, was good enough to not get in Hayden's way -- he mostly just guided him along and let him rip.

I last spoke with Snyder when he dropped by the offices of Entertainment Weekly around '93 or '94 and hosted a big lunch with a group of staffers (bureau chief Cable Neuhaus) and freelancers. Snyder wanted to pick our brains and put his ear a little bit closer to the rails. I respected him for that also.

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on July 30, 2007 at 10:25 AM

comment #1

Rich S. says ...

My most vivid memory of Snyder was his interview with Charles Manson around 1980. At one point, he asked Manson whether, if he ever got out, he had any "scores to settle." Though Manson never gave a direct answer, you could see his eyes light up and you knew you were looking directly into the belly of the beast. Chilling stuff.

Posted by Rich S. at July 30, 2007 11:09 AM

comment #2

Ponderer says ...

I remember a wonderful chat on his CBS show with Neil Young, where he got Young to open up about his son's disabilities (and love of model trains). I also cherished a few post-Oscar shows, where he did a kind of roundtable with David Milch, Bonnie Hunt and Gene Siskel. Amazingly relaxed and entertaining. I wish I'd known about the blog he hosted the last few years.

Posted by Ponderer at July 30, 2007 11:41 AM

comment #3

vansmith says ...

i loved his show, watched it as a young kid when i stayed up late after the tonight show..my tv stayed on NBC, sue simmons and chuck scarborough with jack rafferty and i'd turn it off with tom..

Posted by vansmith at July 30, 2007 01:02 PM

comment #4

R. Hunt says ...

I loved just about everything on Snyder's show in the 70s - the smoke, the maniacal laughter, the laid-back way he'd start drifting off-subject.. It's hard to top the Manson interview - a real coup at the time - but I think my favorite moment was one of many guest appearances by "Joey", a professional hit man turned author, who always appeared in a mask and with his voice distorted. Snyder asked "What would you do if I just reached over there and pulled that mask off?" and Joey barked "I'd rip your heart out..."

Posted by R. Hunt at July 30, 2007 02:15 PM

comment #5

Nate West says ...

Loved those Synder chats with Harlan Ellison and Dean Koontz. Tom, RIP.

Posted by Nate West at July 30, 2007 02:18 PM

comment #6

ROTC says ...

I've sorely missed the guy's welcoming-but-biting everyman presence on TV since his run ended on The Late Late Show. For the many here who may be too young to have enjoyed the Tom Snyder experience, here's a pretty good compilation clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiSEbyhAR0k&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fthelede%2Eblogs%2Enytimes%2Ecom%2F2007%2F07%2F30%2Ffire%2Dup%2Da%2Dcolortini%2Dfor%2Dtom%2Dsnyder%2F

Posted by ROTC at July 30, 2007 02:23 PM

comment #7

lazarus says ...

I didn't start watching Snyder until he followed Letterman in the 90's, but I found him a breath of fresh air. My love for Conan and Dave aside, it was nice to see someone not focused on straight interviewing instead of the offbeat schtick. Bob Costas' show Later was like this as well but I think he was off the air by the time Snyder was back on.

The guy was an easily caricatured figure but he was certainly self-deprecating, and was just engrossing to watch.

Posted by lazarus at July 30, 2007 02:26 PM

comment #8

berg says ...

there is a DVD of Tom Snyder shows featuring Timothy Leary, Tom Wolfe and the Grateful Dead ...

Posted by berg at July 30, 2007 03:07 PM

comment #9

EOTW says ...

One of my faves was when he was guest hosting Later and Howard Stern came on. Their segment was mean, funny, revealing and quite entertaining. Mind you, this was back when Howard was married, before I lost interest in him.

Posted by EOTW at July 30, 2007 04:13 PM

comment #10

Hallick says ...

Snyder's post-Letterman show came on a few years after Costas had turned over "Later" to Greg Kinnear and a devolving set of replacements, none of whom delivered a tenth of what Costas did. I still really miss "The Late Late Show" for all of the things Nate and Ponderer mentioned above. That type of casual, late-night bull session atmosphere hasn't been replicated by anybody else since.

Posted by Hallick at July 30, 2007 04:52 PM

comment #11

christian says ...

and in today's tv of branded marketing prison, there's really no show where people can go and have such informal honest awkward chats without pimping their latest product. charlie rose included.

Posted by christian at July 31, 2007 10:10 AM

comment #12